MUNCHEN 2025 MOC / MARRIOTT The final Chapter !

[Thundersnow]

Can you please describe for us what it did more convincingly than the other big

I am not sure I’d be able to put it in words exactly without getting too lyrical about it. That said, obviously sense of scale, but also the effortless just real-sounding instruments and with it unbound dynamics and separation of instruments. I’ve never heard classical music reproduced in such a believable manner.

To put it in context, I have been to countless rooms over the last two days and not once have I heard people applaud after a performance except at the ending of a symphony on ESD today at day two. Random visitors just clapped spontaneously and so did I. It’s that level of immersion and suspension of disbelief.

 

[andromedaaudio]

[please forgive my poor English]

There is very, very few "House sound" in Stenheim.
So what is probably more palatable this year, is the "Boulder sound"... ;-)

(I'm joking, as there are certainly quite a few more variables that we do not know: cables, vinyl in that Stenheim room this year - last year, I think it was digital only in that room -,​

and vinyl = cartridge + arm + phono cable + phono preamp + etc.​

It is all that stuff that can be clearly heard through the Stenheims, but also the smallest change made into that upwards stuff: we easily could compare an Etsuro Gold and an My Sonic Lab cartridge, with DCC's Stenheim Reference Ultime Two a few months ago)​

​

Just before it was unavailable, I could listen to the TotalDac video report made with their Schoeps microphones, via headphones: that Stenheim room seemed to sound very life-like, but also pleasantly indeed.

Anyway, how would you described what you prefered this year, compared to last year?

Thanks for your pictures-galore

It sounded pleasant indeed.
Last year or the year before it seemed the tw was overloaded

 

[matthias]

Coming back from Munich the best by far was SILBATONE, nothing did come close.
This room was like an oasis in the desert of boring sound

 

[TooCool4]

Where is the ESD video? FWIW, the horns sound like horns and the boxed drivers like box drivers. That Tune Audio did present a bass impact through my computer speakers that others didn't quite do. But it still had a color. Of course, this is a laptop speakers. I have no idea what is going on in the real world sound.

The ESD room sounded good to me, better than what they had last year, I am sure this year’s system is cheaper but none the less it sounded better to my ears. Goes to show, more expensive does not mean better.

 

[orfeo_monteverdi]

I am not sure I’d be able to put it in words exactly without getting too lyrical about it. That said, obviously sense of scale, but also the effortless just real-sounding instruments and with it unbound dynamics and separation of instruments. I’ve never heard classical music reproduced in such a believable manner.

To put it in context, I have been to countless rooms over the last two days and not once have I heard people applaud after a performance except at the ending of a symphony on ESD today at day two. Random visitors just clapped spontaneously and so did I. It’s that level of immersion and suspension of disbelief.

[emphasis are mine]

I have no doubt that they were able to reproduce symphonic music in an incredibly convincing way.
But I would have liked to hear a very well recorded voice to see if they totally avoided the usual pitfalls regarding voices: slightly "shouty", or lean in the low-midrange (or, on the contrary, too thick), etc.

 

[Kingrex]

The ESD room sounded good to me, better than what they had last year, I am sure this year’s system is cheaper but none the less it sounded better to my ears. Goes to show, more expensive does not mean better.

Is there a video if it?

 

[Thundersnow]

Is there a video if it?

 

[TooCool4]

Is there a video if it?

Sorry don't do video's

 

[Thundersnow]

[emphasis are mine]

I have no doubt that they were able to reproduce symphonic music in an incredibly convincing way.
But I would have liked to hear a very well recorded voice to see if they totally avoided the usual pitfalls regarding voices: slightly "shouty", or lean in the low-midrange (or, on the contrary, too thick), etc.

I agree with you, this a valid point. At the same time, I just enjoyed what was presented. It was just a pleasure to listen to classical like that.

 

[Elliot G.]

High End 2025 cz.1

Ostatni gasi ÅwiatÅo â¦

soundrebels.com

 

[Kingrex]

High End 2025 cz.1

Ostatni gasi ÅwiatÅo â¦

soundrebels.com

A rather boring recap of the show. Just a list of vendors and some fancy pictures. No commitment to what sounded great.

 

[Kingrex]

Not bad. I bet it did sound good. Is that racks and racks of amps to power each driver?

 

[gajgmusic]

Lol sure .
I have to get up early monday and go and work overtime to pay for my FM amps .

Actually i have holidays now the austrian mountains are close to munich always worth a visit.

I ll go italy/ french alps afterwards may be i ll see the giro.
I did bring my TREK but im not sure i ll survive the stelvio

If you brought your bike, you must ride the Stelvio. Don't worry about chasing the Giro, though it was a great race today. Thanks for all the pictures

 

[iaxel]

Kharma sounds quit good .

MSB cascade DAC very nice on vocals .

Analog sounded much better in the Kharma room.

 

[AudioHR]

Thanks to everyone that posted pictures, videos and commentary!

 

[Ron Resnick]

Thank you all for all of the photos and comments!

 

[Thundersnow]

Not bad. I bet it did sound good. Is that racks and racks of amps to power each driver?

I think so, yes.

 

[hongkongfoufou]

I don't if it is psychological but I find some room have a better sound the last day than the first day.
For example, TotalDac has a better sound last day.
JMF has a better sound last day too.
I don't remember others brands.

 

[Argonaut]

I agree with you, this a valid point. At the same time, I just enjoyed what was presented. It was just a pleasure to listen to classical like that.

A friend with a fine ear who attends live classical music events pretty much every week opined that were one in the main focused on Classical Symphonic performance , Big Band , Opera , etcetera then the ESD System in his opinion was peerless and quite remarkable . However … perhaps a little less convincing with other genre , yet still rather good . As his main interests do lay with said genres he is giving them some consideration .

 

[hopkins]

The TotalDac show report is sadly unavailable ( < copyright)

Here is the message:
Video unavailable
This video contains content from UMG, who has blocked it in your country on copyright grounds.
That bunch of a** at UMG (or their Idiotic Automaton) obviously prefer preventing us from discovering their music (we could be at risk of willing to buy it !)

In the meantime, here is what I could grab from what I could have seen (it stops just after Zellaton):
(some short comments in French)

---

MUSIC

[miscellaneous rooms]
Deeper · Pete Belasco
Blood, Sweat & Tears - Spinning Wheel
Keneshi Tsunoda Big Band - Take Five **
Hiromi - Seeker (feat. Anthony Jacks). Jazzouillant, easy listening
Sophie Hunger, Le Vent Nous Portera

[Wilson Chronosonic + WAMM + D'Agostino]
Stravinsky - The Firebird Suite, IV. Infernal Dance ***
Johnny "guitar" Watson - A Real Mother For Ya
Freya Ridings - Lost Without You (voix, piano, basse; easy listening)
Keneshi Tsunoda Big Band - Take Five

[Wilson + VTL]
Cécile McLorin Salvant - Le Mal de vivre (< Barbara)

[Göbel + Riviera]
<ROCK> Led Zeppelin - Ramble On **

[Voxativ]
Flow - Crooked Colors ***

[Magico + Wadax]
Beethoven: Triple Concerto - Nicola Benedetti (violin), Sheku Kanneh-Mason (cello), Benjamin Grosvenor (piano), Philharmonia Orchestra, Santtu-Matias Rouvali, DECCA
Avi Kaplan - Peace Somehow

[Grimm Audio LS1]
Melody Gardot - Who Will Comfort Me

[ESD Acoustic, système chinois à pavillons, €1M]
Stravinsky - The Rite Of Spring, Minnesota Orchestra, Reference Recordings, 1996 ***
Liszt, Hungarian Rhapsody N°2, dir° Leopold Stokoswi, RCA Victor, 1961

[Zellaton]
<perscussions> Jan Garbarek - Talking Winds
<opéra> Mozart: Die Zauberflöte, K620 - Acte 2, »Tamino! Lass Mich Nicht Im Stich!«, G. Finley, M. Schade, The English Baroque Soloists • J.E. Gardiner

[Genelec]
Dominique Fils-AÎné - Birds

I can see the TotalDac video (copyright must not apply in my region) and the recordings are very good.